About Meal Plans
If you are living on campus you are required to have a meal plan. The meal plan options vary depending on which residence hall you choose to live in. We have provided details below about each meal plan option and what is recommended from the experience of past exchange students.
*Any student who lives in The Suites or Shocker Hall is required to purchase an Unlimited Meal Plan
3 Unlimited Meal Plans: Unlimited Access, Premium Unlimited and Platinum Unlimited
An unlimited meal plan comes with unlimited meals in Shocker Dining Hall. This means you can come in as many times as you would like while the Shocker Dining Hall is open and eat at the different food stations that are available. Each unlimited meal plan comes with Dining Dollars (either $75, $250 or $400). See more about dining dollars below.
The Unlimited meal plan is great for any student who does not want to buy their own groceries and cook their own meals. It鈥檚 also very conveniently located in Shocker Hall, so it鈥檚 very accessible for Shocker Hall Residents. However, it is about a 10-minute walk to the Shocker Dining Hall if you live in The Suites or The Flats. The Dining Hall closes over holiday breaks and is only open certain hours.
*Only students who live in The Flats can choose the Dining Dollars ONLY meal plan ($500, $750, $1,000). The unlimited meal plans above automatically come with a set amount of dining dollars depending on the unlimited meal plan chosen.
Dining Dollars are dollars that are accessed with your Shocker ID card (similar to a debit account) and can only be used on campus in The Rhatigan Student Center Food Court, The Groundhouse, and at the Shocker Dining Hall. Each time a purchase is made, those dollars are subtracted from the balance. Dining Dollars expire at the end of the semester. For example, if you choose the $500 dining dollar meal plan then you must spend it all before the semester is over or you will not get that money back. If you are staying both fall and spring semester, your dining dollars will not expire until the end of the spring semester. If you use all your Dining Dollars and then decide you would like to add more to your Shocker ID card, you can do so later. If you choose to use your Dining Dollars at the Shocker Dining Hall, you will be charged the current meal rate and it will be subtracted from your Dining Dollar balance.
The Dining Dollars ONLY meal plan is great for those who are living in The Flats and like to cook, don鈥檛 want to walk to the Shocker Dining Hall every day, have any dietary restrictions and would prefer to make their own food, or want a cheaper meal plan. Dining Dollars ONLY meal plan is not available to The Suites and Shocker Hall residents.
If you are living in The Suites or Shocker Hall, we recommend the unlimited meal plan with only $75 dining dollars. You can add more Dining Dollars later so it鈥檚 best to get the cheapest meal plan to start. If you are living in The Flats, we recommend the $500 dining dollars for the same reason. The $500 Dining Dollars meal plan also gives you more freedom to make your own food at home, but still gives you a little bit of money to periodically eat at the Shocker Dining Hall or in restaurants on campus when it鈥檚 convenient for you.